Tuesday, 29 January 2013

We've been fiddling around with our website and have added even more items!
If you see something that takes your fancy don't worry about clocking up the price because we offer free delivery for orders over £75! So if you can't make it to any of our stores or you just don't want to leave the house just visit www.wearecow.com and enjoy!!

Monday, 28 January 2013

Walking around on these dull days is making us look forward to bright summer outfits. We've been looking at the new stock in COW and you can get prepared for Spring/Summer 2013 by pulling key trends such a neon brights, the black and white monochrome look and the classic 60's style.

We went through our inspirations and pulled some outfits from COW then dressed our lovely intern to model those for you! Here are a few of our favourites:

Friday, 25 January 2013

It's here again.. If you're stuck for ideas for things to do this weekend or maybe just can't get the motivation to leave your house as the cold drawers in closer, here are a few suggestions from us all here at COW!

NOTTINGHAM

Piero Gilardi Exhibition - Nottingham Contemporary
Starts Saturday 26th January - 7th April
Maybe you are looking for something a little more laid back and would like to be one of the first to view the politically and environmentally important 60's artist Piero Gilardi's work at the Nottingham Contemporary. The show exhibits his early, interactive and realistic sculptures showing slices of nature made of carved and painted foam. He would encourage people to interact with his pieces and have them lie on, sit in, picnic on and even wear them but now the pieces are too fragile for that kind of interaction but can be pleasantly enjoyed around the space.

"Gilardi was always the most politically engaged artist of the Arte Povera scene. In the late 60s, at a time of great political turmoil in Italy, he left the art world altogether, becoming a “creative facilitator” of street theatre and demonstrations for a range of radical causes – workers’ revolution, the antipsychiatry movement, radical youth groups, and the rights of indigenous people around the world. This work took the form of making sculptural props and choreographing actions, practices he continues to this day. Often based on satirical cartoons, Gilardi’s agit prop objects, like his sculptures, are executed in his favourite medium: carved and painted foam."

BIRMINGHAM

Django Unchained @ The Electric Cinema
Selected Times until 31st January
If you haven't already been to see the most talked about film release of the year so far, we suggest you go straight away to watch Django Unchained. Directed by Quentin Tarantino and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jamie Foxx and Christoph Waltz expect to see Trantino's own version of American history. The Electric Cinema is Birmingham's treasure being the oldest working Cinema in the UK and has been open since 1909. It has had a bit of a facelift since then and you will not be short of home comforts while enjoying your movie with luxury sofa seating, waiter service and a full bar to enjoy.

"Django Unchained does what all Tarantino films do best and pluck pieces from across cinema's long history and whirl it up into a violent, witty and hugely ejoyable piece of post modern entertainment. Tarantino delivers and Django Unchained is no exception.

MANCHESTERThe Soft Pack @ The Soup Kitchen
Friday 25th January - 7.30pm
An American four piece from San Diego perform post-punk revival and garage-rock style indie. If you like a bit of guitar based, lyrical dance around then we highly recommend you go and watch these.

SHEFFIELD

The Sheffield Vintage Fair
Saturday 26th January - Sheffield Town Hall - 12pm-5pm
Vintage, Vintage, Vintage... Just when you can't get enough the Sheffield Vintage Fair is on at the Town Hall with a grand selection of the finest UK's Vintage Mens and Womenswear to Home ware, accessories and jewellery. This is a Sale Special and we are hoping to go and pick up a few bargains with the last of our Christmas money!

LONDON

Jueregn Teller: Woo! Photography Exhibition @ ICA
Started Wednesday 23rd - 17th March
Anyone who follows or has an interest in Art, Music and Fashion will know the greatness of Juergen Teller and his raw photography style. He as shot some of the most influential icons of our generation and continues to capture a raw honesty of his subjects. He has shot for many publications and became mostly well known for his work with i-D magazine and The Face in the 80's and 90's. His most famous images ranging from the wonderful Vivienne Westwood sat completely naked at 68 years old, the beautiful young Kate Moss with pink hair (before Bleach arrived) and the more recent stunning Celine and Marc Jacobs Campaigns.
The opening has been and gone with stars, friends and fans such as Vivienne Westwood and Stella McCartney there to show their respect for the photographer but it is open for a couple of months and I know a lot of our COW staff are making their way down to London for this one.

We hope you all find something to do and have a great time. If there is anything going on in your area that you would like us to know about keep us posted!

Thursday, 24 January 2013

To keep you all in the loop we are talking to our team from all stores and letting you know what goes on in COW and how we manage to keep it up and make sure it continues to be your favourite Vintage Store! Today we spoke to Keighan Kelly who is our lovely Nottingham Store Manager, she tells us how it has been moving store, what's kept her at COW for so long and the details of her helpful and creative team.

KEIGHAN KELLY/ NOTTINGHAM STORE MANAGER

HOW LONG HAVE YOU WORKED FOR COW?

I have worked at COW for 2 years now.

HOW DOES IT FEEL MANAGING THE NEWEST & FANCIEST COW STORE?

I love my new shop, I always like the character of the old shop but this one is just amazing. There is so much more space and it looks like no other shop in Nottingham.

WHAT IS THE BEST THING ABOUT YOUR NEW STORE?

I like the general look of the shop in comparison to the old one but I'd have to say my favourite thing is all the window space we have. We have so much more room to be creative and we plan to keep making the most of this space with our fantastic window displays. We are more noticeable now to people who pass by and people do stop and take a minute to check out our window displays.

WHAT IS YOUR TYPICAL DAY?

My usual day consists of making sure the shop look diverse and full. My staff are all very creative and we do our fair share of Visual Merchandising. I spend a lot of time with our Rework staff going over what is selling best for us and any new ideas we may have. If we have had suggestions or requests on items to stock I will take the time to contact the owners and keep them informed of customers demands. I am always working from the shop floor and even when doing admin and paperwork I like to be available for customer service.

HOW DO YOU COME UP WITH IDEAS KEEP THE WINDOWS AND LAYOUT SO EXCITING?

Well I have to be honest.. my main window display has been left to a member of my team Allan Buxton (who is a creator of his own company Howl and brought you the WE ARE COW video). He did an amazing Christmas window display with a moving Christmas jumper, which had a lot of interest and he always has great new ideas coming up (Keep an eye out)
I also get a lot of help from a very creative little lady in my team called Riah Woodward. Me and Riah work closely together with displays and floor moves. We are always taking note of our bestsellers and researching what the next trend will be, then we apply this to our own stock and space. Our customers also show how they choose to wear the latest looks, this is important to us because we can keep up to date on fashion in our local area. And believe me we have some great fashion followers in Nottingham!

WHAT IS IT ABOUT COW THAT KEEPS YOU INTERESTED AND EXCITED ABOUT THE BRAND?

I love that all of our products are one off pieces, we get our products from all over the world making it easy to look individual rather than blending into the crowd. It's amazing to be part of a successful brand and being part of a group that is always moving forward. My team and I are always looking at ways to improve the COW experience.
WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO IN 2013?

In 2013 I am looking forward to COW being involved in more local and national events. We have already involved our store in the Nottingham Light Night on Friday 8th February where we are planning to have bands in store and also show a short film.. Let's just see what the rest of the year brings!

Here are some snaps of the brand new Nottingham Store, if you haven't been yet you should definitely go and see and say Hi to Keighan!

Wednesday, 23 January 2013

We love it when we receive something special in our deliveries. This week we had a nice amount of handbags and purses from the classic American brand Dooney and Bourke.
If you are not familiar with this brand where have you been since 1975?

The well known American accessories company was founded then by Peter Dooney and Frederic Bourke who had a great love for leather and other skins and used this to produce some signature products from handbags, belts to the more recent ipad case. In 1983 they created the 'AWL', this stands for the classic All Weather Leather, which is what you may be used to seeing today. This was also the introduction to the signature duck logo on all of their products made in this time. The brand is well respected and still going strong today introducing new styles, skins and fabrics and constantly demanding attention from customers of all ages and style.

If you fancy snapping up one of these timeless, classic handbags or purses we have a selection of sizes and colours in stores now with prices ranging from £20 to £50 and worth every penny. An accessory that you won't have to replace for years and will go with anything!

This year we are opening our stores on Wednesday 6th February from 6pm - 10pm to offer you:

-15% Discount - Free Drinks and Refreshments (drinks wil be vary on the night for each store)-Djs in store- Style Me Up Photo Booth - Goody Bagsand much more kicking off in each store!
Make sure you bring your biggest tote bag to fit all of your new shiny purchases in and we look forward to seeing you all there!

Follow the news and updates for the event on your nearest stores Facebook Page-

Wednesday, 16 January 2013

There was a gasp of surprise, horror and excitement when our delivery arrived containing a whole batch of leg warmers. The aim of the leg warmer is that it does exactly what it is meant to.. keep your legs warm and that is great for those who like to layer up and snuggle into some heavy knitwear, gloves, scarves and winter accessories. We have had to separate our styles into cosy, practical winter wear and loud, colourful 80's leg warmers.

If you feel like the bright, neon, sports, '80s Fame style pairs are more for you then we salute you. Like most of our product in store, we cater for all so this can't be any different. Though if you are looking for that other layer for these freezing cold mornings or you do fancy the perfect fancy dress accessory, you know where to come and find it!

We have tried them both and can highly recommend a good warm up in the correct attire to this playlist!

Tuesday, 15 January 2013

As a follow on from the last Meet The Team blog with our Web Manager Richard Manning, we are introducing our our Seamstress and Re Work member of staff Alison Simpson. Alison has worked with COW for over 3 years and we are going to find out what keeps her going.

ALISON SIMPSON - SEAMSTRESS/ REWORK MASTER

HOW DID YOU GET INTO REWORKING FOR COW?

I studied Fashion at Ravensbourne University and learnt all of my sewing skills there, then I interned with a small clothing company who showed me how to work for specific markets. I saw the job for COW advertised and felt it would be a great opportunity to work within a fun company and have the freedom to come up with my own ideas and styles to have in their stores.

HOW DO YOU CONSTANTLY COME UP WITH NEW EXCITING IDEAS?

I follow a lot of fashion shows, street style blogs, take inspiration from everyday things like shapes, art, music, design and vintage fashion, everything really. I then brainstorm with the store's team and crack on with putting all of this into action.

WHAT'S THE MOST POPULAR ITEM YOU HAVE MADE/ REWORKED?

Styles change from season to season and the most popular piece of the summer was the bandeau tops which I thought would work well for our customers. Since it's been so cold I would say the patch pocket shirts have worked the best because they are great for layering. But also our cord dresses sell really well.

WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT COW?

I think COW is constantly full of exciting product which invite an exciting crowd to the shop and this makes it feel like a fun place to be rather than just a regular vintage shop. I like the selection of dresses that we have in all year round, I probably spend most of my wages on those.

WHAT ARE YOU EXCITED ABOUT FOR 2013?

Summer time is my favourite time of year and I am hoping for a hot one this year. Plus it is best for rework and we will be producing new styles and product with all of our new ideas.

Monday, 14 January 2013

It's turned up, a few weeks too late for the picturesque white Christmas we would have loved but never too late to encourage us to pile on the layers in COW. We are lucky enough to be surrounded by a huge selection of knitwear, jackets, cardigans, wool shirts and a never ending amount of wool hats and scarves. Here is how we wear our layers, wrap up, keep warm and stay stylish!

All items in these images are available at our Sheffield Store but if you see anything you like please visit the website at WWW.WEARECOW.COM for similar styles and options.

Green Bobble Hat - £6

Red Bow Blouse - £15

Mustard Aran Knit Cardigan - £18

Red Wool Cape - £18

ReWork Wool Mittens - £8

Wool Patterned Briefcase - £30

Green Speckled Bobble Hat - £9

Patterned Blouse - £18

Denim Jacket - £45

Sheepskin Coat - £55

Wool Checked Scarf - £14

All flat items in the above image available at our website click the link below or visit. www.wearecow.com

Friday, 11 January 2013

Ever get those days when you have looked around the shops, come home and browsed the website and still not found what you are looking for?
Well don't panic because even though we have a huge range of styles and pieces in stores we also upload over 100 items a week to our Ebay Store which you won't be able to find in the shops or on our website!

You will find a great selection of well priced vintage styles but what you may be excited about is that we share a lot of our vintage designer pieces on there with names including Calvin Klein, Yves Saint Laurent, Escada, Ralph Lauren, Pendleton and many more. We also have a great deal more Era pieces ranging from the 1950's to 1970's on our Ebay store, so if you are looking for that one off original retro item that you may not be able to find in our stores please check it out here.

Wednesday, 9 January 2013

You may have seen and even bought some of the jewellery and accessories that we have in our stores and wondered where we get those from. The supplier for our jewellery and accessories in our stores is the wonderful 23 George Street, an independent Jewellery Boutique based in Nottingham.
Walking into the wonderful store, which you can find at 23 George Street, Nottingham, is like walking into a treasure chest full of affordable quirky pieces of costume jewellery. Expect to find a vast selection of items from rock style skull rings, religious symbols, punky spikes, twee pendants to kitsch bunny earrings. The store holds a few collections pleasing all of your on-trend needs, the pieces are easy to wear, eye catching and surprisingly very reasonably priced!

All images from Instagram/23GeorgeStreet

We asked the Store Owner and Buyer Jessica Matthews a few questions about how it all began and how the collaboration with COW came about.

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN COLLABORATING WITH COW?

I have been working with Cow for just over 8 months now. I approached the Cow Nottingham store to see if they were interested in my collections and they were happy to stock my pieces in store which led to supplying for the other stores in Manchester, Birmingham and Sheffield.

HOW DO YOU SOURCE YOUR COLLECTIONS?

I do a lot of travelling and collect pieces we find and also use an overseas supplier to keep on top of demand.

WHERE DO YOU FIND YOUR INSPIRATION WHEN CHOOSING PIECES FOR YOUR COLLECTIONS?

I visit trade shows such as Bread and Butter in Berlin to find out the next big thing that my customers will want. I also keep an eye on future trends and blogs.

WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT COW?

I love the interior and vibe of the stores, especially the new store that opened up in Nottingham. It is exciting to see what is going on in there. I think COW are going in a new direction rather than just being a regular vintage store and it is great to be involved.

WHAT ARE YOU EXCITED ABOUT FOR 2013?

I am excited about the summer! There are new styles coming out, new trends and you tend to see more jewellery on show in the summer with people wearing lighter garments and dressing up simple garments.